MIT motorized skateboard powered by remote control

In these times when everything seems to work with just a touch of a button, the usual skateboard has gained some upgrades as well. The Miters from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have conjured a Motorized Skateboard and paraded it just recently at the World Maker Fair held in New York City. The skateboard is not yet ready to be ridden using nothing but leg power, as it will still need a remote control to make it work.

Charles Guan, the guy who put the skateboard to test, said that the remote control is a way of “cheating” but only for now until they have perfected their invention. The motorized skateboard takes pride in its custom drivetrain and 500-watt hours of lithium ion batteries. A grand total of 1 horsepower is able to help the skateboard hit top speed of 20 mph.

Another kind of skateboard is scheduled to be released in December. Scarpar’s electric skateboards now come in two types—Scarpar’s Model X which is equipped with two 1.5 kilowatt DC Motors and the Model S which has two 750-watt motors. These electric skateboards can be reserved with a price of $500-600, depending on how much power you want to have under your feet. If you wait until they get rolled out you’ll have to pay around $2,800-3,000.